Chapter 143

"Ruben saw Alan?"

So, Alan was safe!

A wave of relief washed over me as I tried to calm down. "He didn't come up? Where'd he go?"

If Alan knew about Benjamin, he must've contacted one of us. Probably... Leonard?

But that didn't add up. If Alan had reached out to Leonard, Leonard would've told me.

So who could it be?

"He said he had other stuff to handle, so he didn't come up."

What could that be?

Alan wasn't the type to go after Ronald. So who did he go see?

Laura? No way. She lost it and was released without charges. No one knew where she was now.

Could it be Tom?

Alan shouldn't know the secret about George being alive. So why would he go to Tom?

Benjamin interrupted my thoughts, "The second thing. Remember the coroner who did Douglas's autopsy? He was your junior in college."

"Yeah, Joseph. I remember."

A sense of dread settled over me.

"He died a few days ago. He and his wife were found dead outside their apartment in the snow. Apparently, Joseph had just left a hotel when it happened. Tom ran red lights to get him to his wife Evelyn, but she took her own life after seeing him."

I was stunned.

Zoey noticed my expression and gave me a concerned look, gently patting my shoulder.

"Nancy, you still there?"

"I'm here."

The last time I saw Joseph was over ten years after graduation, the night of the Entertainment Club incident. He had warned me about the strangeness of the case. When I saw him again, he was being taken away for questioning. He left a message for his wife Evelyn to give to me. That incident opened my eyes to Ronald's true nature.

Joseph hadn't changed. Despite a rough childhood and being used by others in his career, he remained kind and just. Whether as a gentle young man or a slightly overweight middle-aged man, he never lost his integrity and hope.

He was loyal to friendship, justice, and freedom.

Meeting Evelyn was the one grace fate granted him. She stood like a statue in the cold wind outside the courthouse, confronting the powers that be, all for the sake of bringing Joseph home.

Now, it was all over.

"I understand." I replied quietly.

My heart was a mix of emotions. After getting the details, I hung up the phone.

Frank's death seemed too suspicious. Could it be faked?

Alan told Ruben he saw Anna push Frank down the stairs. By the time Alan got there, Frank was already dead. Anna had a clear motive, and it seemed likely that Ronald orchestrated it, with Laura directing Anna to get close to Tony to force George out of hiding.

From another perspective, since I saw Frank again ten years after college, his health had been deteriorating. His pale face and weak breath couldn't be faked. With such a frail body, the impact from Anna pushing him down the stairs could have been fatal.

That made sense. Where have Tony, Anna, and Lally, who were controlled by Frank, gone now?

And where did Alan go? Benjamin had interrupted my thoughts earlier. Would Alan really go to Tom? And if he found Tom, for what reason?

Moreover, if Frank was dead, why hadn't Tom, a key member of the plan, made any moves?

Just when I thought we were nearing the end, things became even more confusing. I texted Benjamin to check on the whereabouts of them. I was worried that after escaping Frank's control, they might fall into Ronald's hands.

That could be disastrous.

I called Tom. The last time we spoke was when I found out he and Zack were the same person.

Alan's whereabouts, the other three's locations, and Howard... they might all be connected to him.

I even suspected that Tom, like Howard and Frank, had more than just a business relationship and was tied to the old case from over twenty years ago.

I made several calls, but no one answered.

Zoey and Erica had finished their call. They seemed to have talked a lot. Zoey looked in better spirits, probably comforted by Erica, temporarily forgetting the pain Ronald had caused her. More importantly, Erica hadn't told her about Howard's disappearance.

"Did you check in with your mom?"

I pulled myself out of my thoughts and smiled at Zoey, who seemed in a better mood.

Zoey blinked and nodded, "Yeah. I talked to her about Dad. She was very honest. She said their divorce wasn't because of anything wrong with Dad, just that the long-distance and busy lives made their feelings fade. She said people have to take responsibility for their choices. If I worry too much about Dad or try to do something for him, it might actually harm him. The sooner he comes clean, the better his chances of avoiding the worst outcome. It might not be a death sentence, and we could still see him again."

I nodded. Erica hadn't offered emotional comfort but had analyzed the worst-case scenario. This was the wisdom and calm of someone seasoned in business, and the greatest love a mother could give her daughter.

"And she said she just met with Mr. Martin to discuss legal matters. He thinks that if Dad cooperates and reveals the higher-ups and others involved, he might get a reduced sentence. There's a good chance it could be commuted to life imprisonment. After all, Dad was a good person once. He'll find his way back."

Wait... Howard met with Erica? But Howard was missing, wasn't he?

In such a serious case, Ronald wouldn't have any chance of leniency if caught.

Howard had once joked that he had forgotten all his legal knowledge over the past twenty years, saying his mind was now full of money and he would never deal with any cases again.

So, was Erica lying to Zoey, or had Howard not disappeared and was hiding?

Just then, Leonard sent a message.